Producing a New Way for Good Morning Britain

(Producer Beth Butler)

Most of us have had the experience of moving from one residence to another. It’s rarely enjoyable but the most benevolent aspect of this transition is that it affords the chance to upgrade or reinvent one’s self. When London’s ITV network relocated to the iconic BBC Television Centre (which had completed its own £8 billion regeneration process) so that their studios could be renovated, Good Morning Britain producer Beth Butler was placed in charge of coming up with some new methods of updating the uber-popular UK morning program. The changes both on and off screen have resulted in GMB receiving its highest ratings to date this past summer. As the means of communication change, so does the presentation and pace of news/information media. Butler has proven time and time again that she has the current generation’s perspective while being empowered with the skills and knowledge of those before her. As one of the most acclaimed young producers in the UK (she was noted for a group of productions for ITV in 2016 about then candidate Donald Trump), ITV has utilized Beth’s forward thinking producing style to their great benefit.

Good Morning Britain is perhaps the premier UK morning program. The presentation team of Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid has been embraced by the viewers, as proven by the show’s leading ratings. This two and half hour live current affairs/news program often communicates news stories as they are occurring. With information travelling so quickly via social media platforms, the pace of the show must be congruent while still offering personalities for which the public has gained a trust and affinity. Butler confirms that the hosts of GMB are ideal and her approach was focused on how to better enable them. In order to make the show more visually exciting for the audience, Beth had production elements including a huge on camera “video wall” (plasma screen) behind the presenters and a “media wall” (five smaller plasmas) to display a range of images and produce graphic sequences during interviews. The public is constantly interacting with screens and the idea here was to give a sense of “picture in picture” to allow for direct and immediate references of topics being discussed. There is of course a “wow” factor to the look of this ultra-modern set.

Butler confirms that the majority of changes she enacted were never seen on screen but most definitely were felt. These were primarily based on improvements to communication and work flow. Working with the GMB’s director, templates were created for breaking news, bulletins, and entertainment news to be presented in the show. Beth describes, “The old templates and the way producers structured their items in the running order was not designed for this modern pace. They were appropriate for the old version of the show but everything moves in an instant these days. To achieve what we wanted quickly when on air and from the gallery, we implemented a new system of how scripts and pictures were put into structures so they could be moved, adapted quickly, and with less room for ‘on air mistakes’ which of course we never want to happen. Our team of producers at Good Morning Britain are a diverse, creative, and talented group of people but some have been there for a long time. Encouraging them to change how they put in scripts after decades of doing it a certain away could have proved problematic but I think my positive attitude, leadership skills, and openness to new production techniques (plus a bit of humor) helped implement them quickly and efficiently. When change is done properly, it’s unsettling for everyone involved but working together…you find a way.”

As with nearly everything in life, communication is paramount to success. Beth created the position of “edit producer” who would work overnight as the point of contact for the editorial team in the gallery and who would cut the opening sequence of the program. She also arranged for the producers to have talkbacks with the gallery team and producers in the production office as a means of increasing the efficiency and availability of communication. The variables which Butler assessed and transformed are countless but the end result is an intuitive collaboration and dialogue which was vetted by GMB’s soaring ratings. At twenty-nine years of age, Beth is one of the youngest and most successful senior producers in the UK television medium. Bridging the gap between the previous paradigm and the most current one, she is making a profound impression in the industry. She relates, “In today’s world it’s all about who’s talking about you, particularly on social media but also which papers picked up on how we treated a certain story or item. You have to be open-minded, full of ideas and inspiration. Working in TV is a huge passion of mine. On my days off or down time I’m always trying to make sure I’m across the latest trend or viral video… basically whatever everyone is talking about. Hopefully we can inject a bit of that in the show and either join the conversation or get everyone talking. Conversation is what we are creating.”

kkingme2003@yahoo.com

Kelly King writes for numerous popular online media outlets in addition to being a staff writer for NYC & LA based/internationally published Drumhead magazine.

Welcome to a place where words matter. On Medium, smart voices and original ideas take center stage - with no ads in sight. Watch
Follow all the topics you care about, and we’ll deliver the best stories for you to your homepage and inbox. Explore
Get unlimited access to the best stories on Medium — and support writers while you’re at it. Just $5/month. Upgrade